The January 2008 Hot List

Most Read

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: We love free stuff! This week, Wal-Mart.com, via their free samples program at walmart.com, is offering samples of David and Victoria Beckham's new Intimately Beckham perfume and cologne for girls and guys. Intimately Beckham Women features the scent of rose petals, Casablanca lily, and sensual orange blossom with vanilla, sandalwood, and musk to create a memorable fragrance that could easily become your signature scent. And if you're looking for a new fragrance for the dude in your life, Intimately Beckham Men is yummy, and with its blend of bergamot, amber, and patchouli makes us think this is exactly what David Beckham would smell like!

When last we left the One Tree Hill gang, they were getting ready to graduate from high school and move on to college. But when we catch up with them again this season, the show's fifth, the action flashes forward five years. That means Lucas, Peyton, and the gang are out of college and out in the "real world," and the real world is proving to be a pretty tough place for some of them. Not to spoil all the action, but a few hints: Nathan and Haley are still married and raising baby Jamie, but all is not well in their family, thanks to an injured Nathan; Brooke is a major fashion designer living in New York City, but she's still not happy; Lucas is about to become a published author; and Peyton's still running the club, where she's about to butt heads with a wannabe rock star played by ... Kevin! Federline! No, really....

Get Gossip Girl backstory!Gossip Girl: It Had to Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel by Cecily von Ziegesar (Little Brown)

The TV version of author Cecily von Ziegesar's Gossip Girls is different from the book series, but whether you love the TV show, the books, or both, you'll definitely want to check into this prequel novel, which gives us the scoop on how our favorite rich kid New Yorkers became the people they are today. Wonder how Nate and Blair hooked up in the first place? How Nate and Serena's fling started behind Blair's back? Why Serena was shipped off to boarding school? Why Dan became a writer? All those questions and many more are answered in the book, a guilty-pleasure read you won't be able to put down once you start reading. We speak from experience....

Gift cards have become one of the most popular holiday gifts to give and receive, which is the good news. The bad news: Sometimes you get a card for a store you might not patronize, which can be frustrating. Until now! Thanks to cool Websites like Swap a Gift and Card Avenue, you can now trade or sell your unwanted gift cards for cash or cards that you might actually use! Not a fan of Burger King? Swap that BK gift card for a McDonald's one. Prefer the Gap over the Limited? Find a swap! Each site lists tons of options of gift cards to buy, sell, and trade, from clothing stores and restaurants to movie theater cards and cards from beauty goodies stores like Sephora. So what are you waiting for? Start swapping and shopping now!

Get your life in order!7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey (Fireside)

It's a new year, and for most people, that means a desire to organize their lives, make new plans, and put old plans into action. The very idea of those things can give you a serious case of stress-o-ritis, which makes this gem of a book a great place to start. With tips on homework, managing friendships, dealing with stress and peer pressure, how to communicate effectively, and figuring out what's really your priority in life, the book also includes cool quotes, cartoons, and real-life stories to inspire you to be the best you that you can be. It's especially handy for anyone starting the whole college-planning/application process because, again, it helps you to get organized and to figure out what your priorities are — which are two very important points when trying to decide where you want to spend four years of your life (and tens, maybe even hundreds, of thousands of dollars) to further your education!

See your pics online the minute you take them!Eye-Fi Wireless Memory Card

If you received a digital camera as a holiday gift, trust us, this is the next purchase you want to make. The Eye-Fi is a wireless memory card, meaning you put it in your camera and, via the Wi-Fi capability inside the memory card, your photos are transmitted automatically to your computer and any photo Websites you choose — Kodak.com, Snapfish.com, Shutterfly, Flickr, and Facebook, for example — without any cables or uploading wait time. It's just that easy! The Eye-Fi also comes with software that allows you to easily manage your photos, and makes the entire process of taking, viewing, storing, sharing, and printing photos just that much more enjoyable.

Have you been playing so much Rock Band or Guitar Hero that you'd actually like to learn to play a guitar? Have we got the perfect instrument for you: the Daisy Rock Guitar, a cool instrument designed specifically for female guitarists! Daisy Rock guitars not only look cool (soooo cool!), but they're top-quality instruments, as the company was launched by real-life rocker Tish Ciravolo, and Daisy Rock guitars are used by some of the most talented females in the music industry, including Joan Jett, Hilary Duff, Lisa Loeb, Dolly Parton, The Go-Go's, and even a certain Miss Miley Cyrus! What makes the instruments so much better for female musicians? They have slimmer necks than standard guitars, which makes them easier to play for smaller hands, they're more lightweight than standard guitars, and they're contoured to be very comfortable and lie across the body nicely. And no matter what type, size, or color guitar you're looking for, there's a Daisy Rock for you, from the candy apple red Rock Candy model and the pink sparkle Pixie Series acoustic to the Dark Star Custom Bass of the Rock Candy series and the ridiculously awesome pink and purple star-shaped Star Artist models.

Play a game, give someone else a healthy smile!Make a (FREE!) Donation to Operation Smile at Hasbro.com

How often do you get the chance to play a game and do something incredibly good for others? Not often enough, right? But that's the case at the Hasbro.com Website for its cool new Operation game, which gives visitors the chance to click on an Operation game button and have the company make a 25 cent donation to Operation Smile. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to making sure children all over the world who are in need of facial reconstructive surgery get the medical care they need, free of charge. You can visit the site once a day, click on the Operation Rescue Kit Game Oxygen Pump, and Hasbro will donate 25 cents for each time you visit. That can add up to thousands of dollars for this amazing organization, and all because YOU took the time to play a little online Operation each day. Yay you!

You can put your precious iPod in a boring old plastic or vinyl case, or you can turn your 'Pod into a nifty stuffed animal with these Fun Friends cases. Colorful, soft, and furry, the Fun Friends fit your iPod snuggly, which means they're not only cute, but superprotective of your very special gadget, too! Best of all, the Fun Friends come in a variety of animals, including Daisy the cow, Funky the monkey, Juliet the pink puppy, Oinky the pig, Punky the pink monkey, Romeo the dog, Sydney the koala bear, Tadpole the frog, Josie the giraffe, Toby the cheetah, Zoe the zebra, Gori the gorilla, Eli the elephant, and Max the tiger.

If you've got a case of the winter blahs, grab a bottle of ...Philosophy Shower and Bath Gels

Okay, we all love the smell of vanilla birthday cake, but does that mean you should want to smell like vanilla birthday cake yourself? We say, yes! At least, when the smell comes from Philosophy's vanilla birthday cake-scented shower and bath gel. The entire line of yummy-flavored bath and shower gels is the perfect excuse for taking a relaxing bath, and what better way to relax after a day braving the chilly winter weather? Among our fave Philosophy flavors: the aforementioned Vanilla Birthday Cake, plus Red Velvet Cake, Powdered Sugar Cookie, Strawberry Milkshake, Key Lime Pie, Frozen Lemon Custard, and Old-Fashioned Lemonade. Which one will you choose?